Stronger Than Before - A Fan's Review
By Chris Rutherford
I am extremely impressed with the artwork. The cover looks even better
in real life and the pink colour scheme is fantastic. I also like that
Olivia has offered a brief commentary on each song a la 'Gaia' and
'Indigo' as it's always nice to have a little insight into how the album
came to be.
Moving onto the music itself, here are my thoughts.
STRONGER THAN BEFORE
Doesn't Olivia's voice sound fantastic in this one? Her lower range is
so rich and textured now, it's a joy to hear her use it. If you listen
to her early seventies material, she really has no low register at all and
sounds quite unsure of herself when she hits those notes. How wonderful
that as she's gotten older that part of Olivia's voice has developed
into such a lovely instrument. This is a decent song with a simple, almost
country-fied melody and some pleasant harmonies. I'm actually not too
object to the Beach Boys section in the middle and the somewhat more
forceful vocals at the end are great too.
WHEN YOU BELIEVE
I'm surprised so many fans list this as their least favourite on the
disc because this was one of the more instant ones for me. There's
something very old school about this one, even in Olivia's vocal. Cliches abound on the chorus (the whole album is pretty
cliche-laden,
but it's difficult to write convincing songs about the given subject
matter without them) but the verses are really excellent. I love the whole
‘here's to the girl I left behind / here's to the woman I've
become' thing. There's a faux-gospel thing happening at times, at
others I get hints of "Back With A Heart', but it's a strong enough
cut to maintain its own identity.
PHENOMENAL WOMAN
Poems don't make good songs. This song reminds me of "Where Is A Woman
To Go', a swaggering country-soul song on Dusty Springfield's last album
"A Very Fine Love" but not as good. The accompaniment is crying
out for some whisky-soaked self-pity, but that's not terribly conducive
for an album like this! Olivia gives a very admirable vocal performance,
in fact all of the ladies do and it's great to hear Delta Goodrem
singing alongside Liv (Australia REPRESENTS! Yeee-haw) but it's not
enough to save this one from being underwhelming. Nice try though and I'm
still enamoured by the "honay beez" line.
UNDER THE SKIN
I'm hearing Sarah Brightman on this, is anyone else? I can just hear her
thin, high-pitched vocals wrapped around the fragile melody. It reminds me
of a song called "Free" on her album "Harem' (which I implore
every single one of you to investigate if you don't already own it).
Olivia does an excellent job on this, the first truly impressive song on
the album. The production allows Olivia's plaintive vocal to do its
thing without distraction but also without sounding like the song's
half-baked. The chorus really sinks in on the third or fourth listen and
the electronic touches here and there along with the programmed drum makes
this one of the most contemporary sounding cuts on "Stronger Than Before".
PASS IT ON
Aww. Well, it's cute and makes me want to wobble my wobbly bits to this
one. Far too naff for my tastes lyrically and musically but I guess it's
a nice break from the ballads? To be honest though I probably would have
rathered another schlocky midtempo like the title track to this. I do like
Olivia's vocals at the end where she gets impassioned (/shrieky).
THAT'S ALL I KNOW FOR SURE
From aww to eww. I take back what I said about wanting another schlocky
midtempo. Not my cup of tea at all and I hate the hokey production.
Someone dropped the ball big time! Moving on swiftly…
WHEN I NEEDED YOU
Good to know the Toomorrow project hasn't made everyone involved
eternally bitter, rendering their creative capacity null and void! ‘When
I Needed You' gets down and dirty with the new age "Gaia" vibe and
Olivia turns in a lovely performance. Another simple song that in truth
goes nowhere, but doesn't need to.
CAN I TRUST YOUR ARMS
If anyone had doubts about Chloe's musical potential, then I sincerely
hope this song has laid them to rest. Easily the best song on the album
and probably one of the best things Olivia has recorded in years. The
lyric is a welcome change from the inspiring but often saccharine tone of
the rest of the disc and I'm glad Olivia chose to include it. I'm all
for unfettered optimism, but clearly cancer is a very devastating disease
and it's important to acknowledge the dark moments as well as the
positive ones. Chloe's lyrics are beautiful and touch on a difficult
issue with a sensitivity beyond her years. I'm amazed that she so aptly
managed to write from her Mum's perspective without giving in to the
temptation to be overblown or hyperbolic. The chorus (and its melody -
snaps, Olivia) is heartbreaking, as is the rest of the song. I love Olivia's
long note in the middle and the simple piano/string accompaniment. There
are some interesting dynamics in this song and I only wish there were more
songs of this quality on the album.
DON'T STOP BELIEVIN'
Great choice of song for a remake considering the cause, but I can't
help but feel the bossa nova arrangement sucked the life out of "Don't
Stop Believin''. The once sprightly pop song is now too subdued and
languid. The peppiness was the secret ingredient and without it this
version sounds like a pale imitation of itself. I like Olivia's backing
vocals though and if it was the first time I was hearing this I'd
probably enjoy it a lot more.
SERENITY
A wonderful example of how effective an orchestra can be when it's not
forced on the unsuspecting listener like a fired-up Rottweiler (see: Warm
and Tender). A tremendous closer with lovely lyrics and a close to
flawless delivery.
So, all in all this is a far better album than I was expecting. There
are a couple of gems here, a handful of very solid songs and only a couple
of real clunkers. It's not up there with Olivia's greatest releases in my
opinion and I still think 'Indigo' was a more satisfying album, but it
definitely exceeded my expectations.
And at least it's better than (2) - THAT, my dears, is the most
important thing!
The Exceptional:
Can I Trust Your Arms
Under The Skin
The Good:
When You Believe
Serenity
When I Needed You
Don't Stop Believin'
Stronger Than Before
The Rest:
Pass It On
Phenomenal Woman
That's All I Know For Sure
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